Touch panel and fabrication method thereof

ABSTRACT

A touch panel and a fabricating method thereof are provided in the instant disclosure. The touch panel having a non-display area and a display area includes a shielding layer disposed on a side of a substrate and defining the non-display area on the substrate; a sensing electrode layer disposed on the substrate at the same side as the shielding layer, wherein at least one portion of the sensing electrode layer is disposed on a surface of the substrate in the display area; a first protecting layer disposed in the display area and covering the sensing electrode layer; and a second protecting layer disposed in the non-display area and covering the shielding layer. By modifying the structure of the protecting layer, the height difference between the sensing electrode layer and the shielding layer may not cause the color difference due to the non-uniform protecting layer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention claims the priority of China Patent ApplicationNo. 201310216959.4 filed on Jun. 4, 2013, which is incorporated byreference in the present application in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a touch panel technology; inparticular, to a touch panel and a fabrication method thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

As the development of the touch control technology, the touch panel hasbeen widely used in various consumer electronic devices, such as smartphone, tablets , digital camera, e-book, MP3 player, and so on, whichare portable electronic products. The touch panel also can be applied tothe display screen of the apparatus for operating and controlling. Thetouch panel not only provides convenience of input operation to user, italso has the advantages in its thinner shape, the lighter weight and theprice competitiveness.

The touch panel typically includes a substrate, a sensing electrodelayer, a shielding layer and a protective layer. The protective layer isformed on the both the sensing electrode layer and the shielding layerto protect the sensing electrode layer from the physical or chemicaldamage.

However, the thickness of the shielding layer is (about ten to hundredtimes) thicker than that of the sensing electrode layer. There is a“step” formed between the shielding layer and the sensing electrodelayer due to the thickness difference therebetween. While the protectivelayer is formed on both of the shielding layer and the sensing electrodelayer in the following process, the step would easily result in thenon-uniformity of the protective layer, and the appearance of the colordifference in the protective layer. The color difference would impactthe transparent property of the touch panel.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is related to a touch panel andfabrication method thereof.

According to one of the present disclosure, by means of changing thestructure of the protecting layer and adjusting the processes, theprotecting layer having two portions is designed to deposit on thesensing electrode layer and the shielding layer respectively. The twoportions of the protecting layer are formed independently, and thus thenon-uniform coating for each portion would not occur despite theexistence of thickness difference between the shielding layer and thesensing electrode layer.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to anembodiment of the present invention, a touch panel is provided. Thetouch panel defines a non-display area and a display area correspondingto the non-display area. The touch panel includes a shielding layerdisposed at a side of a substrate, wherein the substrate covered by theshielding layer defines the non-display area; a sensing electrode layerdisposed on the substrate at the same side as the shielding layer,wherein at least a portion of the sensing electrode layer superimposesthe display area; a first protecting layer disposed in the display areaand covering the sensing electrode layer; and a second protecting layer,disposed in the non-display area and covering the shielding layer.

In another embodiment of the instant disclosure, a fabricating method ofthe touch panel is provided. The touch panel defines a display area anda non-display area corresponding to the display area. The methodcomprising: forming a shielding layer on a side of a substrate, whereinan area covered by the shielding layer defines the non-display area;forming a sensing electrode layer on the substrate at the same side asthe shielding layer, wherein at least a portion of the sensing electrodelayer superimposes the display area; forming a first protecting layer atleast in the display area to cover the sensing electrode layer; andforming a second protecting layer in non-display area to cover theshielding layer.

As a result, the color difference may be avoided, and the factorsreducing the transparency of the touch panel may be weakened in theinstant disclosure. In addition, the protecting layer of the instantdisclosure has two different portions which may be made of differentmaterials. In addition to protection, the first protecting layer coversthe sensing electrode layer and has a refractive index larger than orequal to that of the sensing electrode, and therefore the difference ofthe refractive indices is minimized. In addition to protection, thesecond protecting layer, which correspondingly covers the shieldinglayer and the signal transmitting layer, also provides a reliableadhesion to the shielding layer. Taken as a whole, the display qualityof the touch panel can be improved.

In order to further the understanding regarding the present invention,the following embodiments are provided along with illustrations tofacilitate the disclosure of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to afirst embodiment of the instant disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged perspective view showing the detail of thefirst protecting layer in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to asecond embodiment of the instant disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to athird embodiment of the instant disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is flow chart of the fabrication method for touch panel accordingto an embodiment of the instant disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed descriptions areexemplary for the purpose of further explaining the scope of the presentinvention. Other objectives and advantages related to the presentinvention will be illustrated in the subsequent descriptions andappended drawings.

The orientations of “upper” and “lower” of the touch panel in thedescription of the embodiments are only used to represent the relativeposition. In the drawings of the instant disclosure, the “upper side” ofthe touch panel means it is the farthest side from a user, and the“lower side” of the touch panel means it is the nearest side from theuser. Moreover, the touch panel of the embodiment defines a non-displayarea and a display area. In general, the non-display area may beallocated at least one peripheral side of the display area. All of theembodiments of the instant disclosure are described in the condition ofthe non-display area surrounding the display area.

Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a touchpanel according to a first embodiment of the instant disclosure. Thetouch panel 100 of the present embodiment includes a substrate 110, ashielding layer 130, a sensing electrode layer 120, a first protectinglayer 151 and a second protecting layer 152. The substrate 110 may bemade of the transparent material, such as glass and the like. Thesubstrate 110 has a lower surface 110 a and an upper surface 110 bopposite thereto. The lower surface 110 a serves as the operatingsurface for a user. The upper surface 110 b is used to form each elementof the touch panel 100 thereon, and the example will be explained indetail in the following description. Furthermore, in the instantembodiment, the lower surface 110 a of the substrate 110 may beprocessed by surface treatments, such as toughening, scratch-resistantprocess, anti-glare process, antimicrobial and/or anti-reflectiveprocess. On top of supporting, the surface treatment of the lowersurface 110 a allows the substrate 110 to be protected.

The shielding layer 130 is disposed on the peripheral portion of theupper surface 110 b of the substrate 110, and an area covered by theshielding layer 130 defines the non-display area 100B. In the presentembodiment, the shielding layer 130 is an opaque and insulating layer,such as the black or the other colors polyimide layer, or ink layer. Theshielding layer 130 may be formed by deposition, lithography and etchingprocesses.

The sensing electrode layer 120 and the shielding layer 130 areconfigured on the same side of the substrate 110, i.e. on the upperside. At least a portion of the sensing electrode layer 120 isconfigured on the upper surface 110 b of the substrate 110 and in thedisplay area 100B to provide the touch sensitivity for a user.Specifically, the sensing electrode layer 120 includes a plurality offirst electrodes 121 arranged in rows, a plurality of second electrodes(not shown in FIG. 1) arranged in columns, and a plurality of connectingportions 124 connecting a pair of two immediately adjacent secondelectrodes (not shown) in the same column. Every two immediatelyadjacent first electrodes 121 in the same row are connected to eachother by one of the bridging portions 123. The sensing electrode layer120 includes a plurality of insulating portions 122, each of which issandwiched between a pair of the bridging portion 123 and connectingportion 124. The arrangement of the abovementioned elements (i.e., thefirst electrodes 121, the second electrodes, the connecting portions123, the bridging portions and the insulating portions 124 of thesensing electrode layer 120) defines an etching area 120A and anon-etching area 120B on the sensing electrode layer 120.

At least a portion of the first protecting layer 151 is arranged indisplay area 100B, and covers the sensing electrode layer 120 at thedisplay area 100B to protect the sensing electrode layer 120 from thephysical or chemical damage. Of course, since the etching area 120A andnon-etching area 120B are defined on the sensing electrode layer 120,the first protecting layer 151 not only covers the non-etching area 120Bof the sensing electrode layer 120, but also covers a portion of thesubstrate 110 appeared from the etching area 120A. The second protectinglayer 152 is arranged at the non-display area 100B, and superimposes theshielding layer 130. Since the shielding layer 130 for defining thenon-display area 100B surrounds the display area 100A, in the instantembodiment, the second protecting layer 152 may have the frame-likeshape.

As the abovementioned embodiment, by specific designs for the firstprotecting layer 151 and the second protecting layer 152, the protectinglayer 150, which is fabricated in the back-end processes in the wholestructure of the touch panel 100, would not be extremely affected due tothe thickness difference between the shielding layer 130 (with athickness ranging between 1.5 μm to 20 μm) and the sensing electrodelayer 120 (with a thickness ranging between 250A to 300A). During thefabrication of the protecting layer 150, the color difference resultingfrom the non-uniform coating of the protecting layer 150 may beeffectively avoided, and thus the factors reducing the transparency ofthe touch panel 100 may be weakened, and the manufacturing yield of thetouch panel 100 may be increased.

For the further description, in the present embodiment, the sequence ofthe steps, i.e., forming the shielding layer 130 and then forming thesensing electrode layer 120, is just as an example. Moreover, thesensing electrode layer 120 may further extend to top surface of theshielding layer 130, which is arranged in the non-display area 100B.Inone embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the sensing electrode layer 120,which has a portion in the display area 100A and the other portions inthe non-display area 100B, is fabricated in the same process. In anotherembodiment, the portion in the non-display area 100B may be anindependent connecting portion and manufactured by an additional processrather than the process for manufacturing the other portions in thedisplay area 100A. However, the aforementioned fabrications are not usedfor limiting the scope of the instant disclosure.

The touch panel 100 of the instant embodiment further includes a signaltransmitting layer 160. The signal transmitting layer 160 is interposedbetween the shielding layer 130 and the second protecting layer 152, andelectrically connected to the sensing electrode layer 120 fortransmitting the signal between the sensing electrode layer 120 and anexternal controller (not shown). As a result, in the instant embodiment,the second protecting layer 152 in the non-display area 100B may notonly cover the shielding layer 130, but also cover the signaltransmitting layer 160 to protect the signal transmitting layer 160 fromthe physical or chemical damage. For example, the signal transmittinglayer 160 is a stack of Mo/Al/Mo layers. The Al layer sandwiched betweenthese two Mo layers is so chemically reactive that the Al layer iseasily oxidized and forms an insulating aluminum oxide film when the Allayer is exposed to the air. It is hence the second protecting layer 152which may isolate the signal transmitting layer 160 from the air toprevent the Al layer from the oxidation, and may reduce the probabilityof the explosion of the Al layer caused by the damage of the Mo layer.

It is worth mentioning that the first protecting layer 151 of theinstant embodiment may be a refractive index compensating layer, and thesecond protecting layer 152 may be an attaching layer. As a result, thefirst protecting layer 151 correspondingly covering on the sensingelectrode layer 120 not only provides the function of protection, butalso compensates and matches the refractive index of the sensingelectrode layer 120 so that the etching lines formed between the etchingarea 120A and the non-etching area 120B on the sensing electrode layer120 become visually invisible. The second protecting layer 152correspondingly covering the shielding layer 130 and the signaltransmitting layer 160 also provides a reliable adhesion to theshielding layer 130 in addition to providing the function of theprotection.

The refractive index compensating layer, in one embodiment, may be madeof a material selected from a group consisting of the metal oxide,non-metal oxide, Si-based material and the combination thereof. Therefractive index compensating layer can be designed in single or multilayers in structure. Given the refractive index of the refractive indexcompensating layer of the instant embodiment is n1, and the refractiveindex of the sensing electrode layer is n2. In this case, the refractiveindex n1 of the refractive index compensating layer is larger than orequal to the refractive index n2 of the sensing electrode layer in theinstant embodiment. Therefore, the difference of the refractive indicesfor visible light of the etching area 120A and the non-etching area 120Bis minimized. In addition, poor display quality due to differentrefractive indices may be avoided, and a better display quality of thetouch panel 100 may be achieved.

Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 illustrates an enlarged perspective viewshowing the detail of the first protecting layer in FIG. 1. Morespecifically, the first protecting layer 151 of the instant embodimentincludes a first refractive index layer 1511 and a second refractiveindex layer 1512, which makes the first protecting layer 151 to becomposite multilayered while the first protecting layer 151 is designedto be the refractive index compensating layer. The first refractiveindex layer 1511 covers on the sensing electrode layer 120, the secondrefractive index 1512 is disposed on the first refractive index layer1511. In addition, with respect to the refractive index n1 of therefractive index compensating layer, which is composite multilayered,please further refer to the following description.

Given the refractive index of the first refractive index layer 1511 isn3, and the refractive index of the second refractive index layer 1512is n4, wherein n3 and n4 meet the following equations (1)-(3):

n3=sin a/sin b (1)

n4=sin b/sin c (2)

n3*n4=(sin a/sin b)*(sin b/sin c)=sin a/sin c (3)

Thus, the refractive index n1 of the refractive index compensatinglayer, n3 and n4 meet the following equations: n3=n1*n2.

By the stacking configuration of the first refractive index layer 1511and the second refractive index layer 1512 in the instant embodiment,the refractive index of the refractive index compensating layer, whichis composite multilayered, is larger than or equal to that of thesensing electrode layer 120 disposed in the display area 100B.

In one embodiment, the refractive index n3 of the first refractive indexlayer 1511 is less than the refractive index of the sensing electrodelayer 120, and the refractive index n4 of the second refractive indexlayer 1512 is larger than the refractive index of the sensing electrodelayer 120. Specifically, if the first electrode 121 and the secondconductive pattern (not shown) of the sensing electrode layer 120 arepatterned indium tin oxide (ITO) layers which have the refractive indexof 1.86, the first refractive index layer 1511 would be a layer havingsmaller refractive index, for example, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) layerhaving a refractive index of 1.46 with a thickness ranging between 30 nmto 50 nm. The second refractive index layer 1512 may be a layer, therefractive index of which is larger than 1.86, for example, niobiumpentoxide (Nb₂O₅) with a refractive index of 2.35 and a thicknessranging between 5 nm to 10 nm. In another embodiment, the firstrefractive index layer 1511 is Nb₂O₅ layer, and the second refractiveindex layer 1512 is SiO₂ layer. In other words, the refractive indexcompensating layer being composite multilayered may be, for example,formed by a SiO₂ layer and a Nb₂O₅ layer according to the refractiveindex of the sensing electrode layer 120 in practice.

The attaching layer, in one embodiment, is an organic material layer.The properties of the material of the attaching layer are the same as orsimilar to that of the shielding layer 130, and the attaching layer thusproduces a more reliable adhesion to the shielding layer 130. Theattaching layer composed of the organic materials undergoes thecross-cut tape test (ASTM D3359-93), and the adhesion degree of theattaching layer to the shielding layer 130 is at least 4B. The frequencyof stripping is less than 5%. Accordingly, the signal transmitting layer160 disposed between the attaching layer and the shielding layer 130 maybe completely protected and isolated from the air, and the probabilityof the oxidation of the signal transmitting layer 160 is reduced.

In one embodiment, the organic material may be a polyimide (PI)material, an ink material, an alcohol material or the combinationthereof. The compositions of the polyimide material include Silane andPolymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The compositions of the ink materialsinclude the pigment, the resin and the auxiliary agent, wherein thepigment may be titanium dioxide or toner, and the auxiliary agent may becuring agent or thickening agent. The alcohol materials may be ethyleneglycol, propylene glycol, ethanol, isopryl alcohol or the combinationthereof. The adhesion of the attaching layer may be optimized byadjusting the content of each component to provide the better adherencefor the shielding layer 130.

For the following description, please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows across-sectional view of a touch panel according to a second embodimentof the instant disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the structure of thetouch panel of the instant embodiment is substantially similar to thefirst embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. The difference is that, in theinstant embodiment, the first protecting layer 151 further extends tothe non-display area 100B, and is formed on the surface of the secondprotecting layer 152. As a result, the second protecting layer 152 maybe protected from peeling off. The first protecting layer 151 of theinstant embodiment is completely formed on the surface of the secondprotecting layer 152. Of course, according to the demands for thepractical design, the first protecting layer 151 also may be formed ononly one portion of the second protecting layer 152, which is notintended to limit the scope of the invention.

Please refer to the FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of atouch panel according to a third embodiment of the instant disclosure.As illustrated in FIG. 4, the structure of the touch panel of theinstant embodiment is substantially similar to the first embodiment asshown in FIG. 1. In the instant embodiment, the difference is thestacking sequence of the sensing electrode layer 120 and the shieldinglayer 130 of the touch panel 100. In the instant embodiment, thesequence of the processes is designed for disposing the sensingelectrode layer 120 and then forming the shielding layer 130. That is tosay, the sensing electrode layer 120 in the non-display area 100B isformed on a lower surface of the shielding layer 130. However, based onthe design of the structure of the instant embodiment, an opening isformed on the shielding layer 130 to allow electrical communicationbetween the already formed sensing electrode layer 120 and the signaltransmitting layer 160. Furthermore, the electrical connecting layer 140is formed by filling the conductive material into the opening portion.As a result, the sensing electrode layer 120 is electrically connectedto the signal transmitting layer 160 by the electrical connecting layer140 extending through the opening.

Please refer to the FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is flow chart of the fabricationmethod for touch panel according to an embodiment of the instantdisclosure. Firstly, in step S1, a substrate is provided. In step S2, ashielding layer is formed at a side of the substrate, and an area of thesubstrate covered by the shielding layer 130 defines the non-displayarea 100B of the touch panel.

In step S3, a sensing electrode layer is formed on the substrate at thesame side as the shielding layer. In the instant embodiment, there is atleast one portion of the sensing electrode layer formed on the surfaceof the substrate and in the display area of the touch panel, besides,the sensing electrode layer further extends to the non-display area andis arranged on the upper surface of the shielding layer in thenon-display area formed in step S2.

Of course, in another embodiment, the order of the above step S2 and theabove step S3 can also be exchanged. That is to say, the sensingelectrode is formed, and the shielding layer is subsequently formed. Itis thus the sensing electrode layer extending to the non-display area isarranged on the lower surface of the shielding layer.

In step S4, a signal transmitting layer is formed on the shielding layerto electrically connect to the sensing electrode layer.

In step S5, a first protecting layer is at least formed in the displayarea to cover the sensing electrode layer.

In step S6, a second protecting layer is formed to cover the shieldinglayer and the signal transmitting layer in the non-display area. Thetouch panel of the instant embodiment could be fabricated by performingthe aforementioned steps.

In another embodiment, the order of the abovementioned step S5 and stepS6 can also be exchanged. That is to say, the second protecting layercan be formed, and thereafter the first protecting layer is formed. As aresult, the first protecting layer can be designed to be not merelyformed in the display area, but extend to the surface of the secondprotecting layer in the non-display area so as to prevent the secondprotecting layer from peeling off.

At last, additional explanations may be provided. In each of theabovementioned embodiments, the insulating portion can be made bycoating, lithography and etching processes, which are performed insequence. Besides, the insulating portion is made of for example epoxylayer, polyimide layer or methyl methacrylate layer and so on.Additionally, the first electrode, the second electrode or the signaltransmitting layer also may be manufactured by the deposition, thelithography, the etching processes and so on.

The aforementioned deposition process for example physical vapordeposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The physical vapordeposition (PVD) is such as evaporation or sputtering deposition, andthe chemical vapor deposition is such as low pressure chemical vapordeposition (LPCVD), metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD),plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or photo chemicalvapor deposition (PHOTO CVD). The aforementioned etching process may bechemical etching or laser etching process.

Furthermore, the first electrode and the second electrode of theaforementioned embodiments may be made of the transparent conductivematerial. The transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide(ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), aluminum zincoxide (AZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide, cadmium oxide,hafnium oxide (HfO), indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO), indium galliumzinc magnesium oxide (InGaZnMgO), indium gallium magnesium oxide(InGaMgO) or indium gallium aluminum oxide (InGaAlO) and the like.Besides, the signal transmitting layer 160 may be made of Au, Ag, Cu,Ni, Al, Cr or the combination thereof, for example, the structure of thesignal transmitting layer 160 is a Mo/Al/Mo stack, wherein the Al layeris sandwiched between the two Mo layers.

In summary, the color difference may be avoided, and the factorsreducing the transparency of the touch panel may be weakened. Inaddition, the protecting layer has two different portions which may bemade of different materials. In addition to protection, the firstprotecting layer covers the sensing electrode layer and has a refractiveindex larger than or equal to that of the sensing electrode, andtherefore the difference of the refractive indices is minimized. Inaddition to protection, the second protecting layer, whichcorrespondingly covers the shielding layer, provides a reliable adhesionto the shielding layer. Taken as a whole, the display quality of thetouch panel can be improved.

The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simplify the preferredembodiments of the present invention; however, the characteristics ofthe present invention are by no means restricted thereto. All changes,alterations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilledin the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the presentinvention delineated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A touch panel defining a non-display area and adisplay area, the touch panel comprising: a shielding layer disposed ona side of a substrate, wherein an area of the substrate covered by theshielding layer defines the non-display area; a sensing electrode layerdisposed on the substrate at the same side as the shielding layer,wherein at least a portion of the sensing electrode layer superimposesthe display area; a first protecting layer disposed on the display areaand covering the sensing electrode layer; and a second protecting layerdisposed on the non-display area and covering the shielding layer. 2.The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the first protecting layeris a refractive index compensating layer and the second protecting layeris an attaching layer.
 3. The touch panel according to claim 2, whereinthe refractive index compensating layer is made of a material selectedfrom a group consisting of metal oxide, a non-mental oxide, asilicon-based material and the combination thereof.
 4. The touch panelaccording to claim 2, wherein the refractive index compensating layer iscomposite multilayered.
 5. The touch panel according to claim 4, whereinthe refractive index compensating layer is formed by a silicon dioxide(SiO₂) layer and a niobium pentoxide (Nb₂O₅) layer.
 6. The touch panelaccording to claim 5, wherein the silicon dioxide layer has a thicknessranging between 30 nm to 50 nm, and the niobium pentoxide layer has athickness ranging between 5 nm to 50 nm.
 7. The touch panel according toclaim 2, wherein the refractive index of the refractive indexcompensating layer is larger than or equal to the refractive index ofthe sensing electrode layer.
 8. The touch panel according to claim 2,wherein the attaching layer is made of an organic material.
 9. The touchpanel according to claim 8, wherein the organic material is selectedfrom the group consisting of the polyimide material, the ink material,the alcohol material and the combination thereof.
 10. The touch panelaccording to claim 1, wherein the shielding layer is made of a polyimidelayer or an ink layer.
 11. The touch panel according to claim 1, whereinthe first protecting layer further extends to the non-display area andis formed on the second protecting layer.
 12. The touch panel accordingto claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer further extends to thenon-display area, and is formed on an upper or a lower surface of theshielding layer.
 13. The touch panel according to claim 1, furthercomprising a signal transmitting layer disposed between the shieldinglayer and the second protecting layer, and electrically connected to thesensing electrode layer.
 14. A fabricating method of a touch panel,wherein the touch panel defines a display area and a non-display area,the method comprising: forming a shielding layer on a side of asubstrate, wherein an area of the substrate covered by the shieldinglayer defines the non-display area; forming a sensing electrode layer atthe same side as the shielding layer on the substrate, wherein at leasta portion of the sensing electrode layer superimposes the display area;forming a first protecting layer at least on the display area to coverthe sensing electrode layer; and forming a second protecting layer onnon-display area to cover the shielding layer.
 15. The fabricatingmethod of the touch panel according to claim 14, wherein the firstprotecting layer is a refractive index compensating layer, and thesecond protecting layer is an attaching layer.
 16. The fabricatingmethod of the touch panel according to claim 14, wherein the firstprotecting layer further extends to the non-display area, and is formedon a surface of the second protecting layer.
 17. The fabricating methodof the touch panel according to claim 14, before forming the secondprotecting layer, further comprising: forming a signal transmittinglayer on a surface of the shielding layer to electrically connect to thesensing electrode layer.
 18. The fabricating method of the touch panelaccording to claim 14, wherein the sensing electrode layer furtherextends to the non-display area, and the sensing electrode layer isformed before formation of the shielding layer so that the sensingelectrode layer is formed on a lower surface of the shielding layer. 19.The fabricating method of the touch panel according to claim 14, whereinthe sensing electrode layer further extends to the non-display area, andthe sensing electrode layer is formed after formation of the shieldinglayer so that the sensing electrode layer is formed on an upper surfaceof the shielding layer.